Relatively Scottish is the family history business of Andrew Armstrong, a Scottish genealogist based in the Scottish Borders. It offers research for all of Scotland from the 16th through to the 20th Centuries.
I specialize in research for Dumfries & Galloway, Roxburghshire, Selkirkshire, Berwickshire , Peeblesshire, Edinburgh and the Lothians. I am happy to help with small or large problems (minimum of 2 hours research) with Scotlandspeople or any other archives. Please use the Contact Form to get in touch.
The picture above is of Irongray kirk , built in 1803, and a fairly typical Galloway rural kirk. Rev John Welsh of Irongray was one of the best known Covenanting ministers in the 17th century. He preached to thousands in open air Conventicles. Photo credit: Rosser1954, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
18th Century Blues ?
Perhaps you’ve traced your family to around 1800 somewhere in Scotland but are not sure how to make further progress beyond Scotlandspeople? There are many records which could potentially be useful. Contact Me with details of your problem to see if there might be a way forward. Furthermore I’ll give you a full and honest assessment of what I can do for you and the chances of success. I can also help with transcriptions of old handwritten documentation.
Specialist Family History Resources for Download
I have spent many years researching family history in Dumfriesshire and Liddesdale in particular. And as a result of this I am offering some unique resources on this website that you won’t find elsewhere . These complement conventional sources like OPRs and Monumental Inscriptions, With a bit of luck these may often get you to the next level without the need to carry out research in Scotland. They include
- Rentals from the Buccleuch Estates 1630-1833
- Indexes of Irregular Marriages from Kirk Session Records
- Indexes of Illegitimate Births from Kirk Session Records
- Indexes of Ante-nuptial Fornication from Kirk Session Records
- Hearth Tax Records 1690-1692
- Militia Lists from 1802
These records are really useful when you’re chasing ancestors before 1840. Currently there are around 50 different documents available and it is constantly being added to. They are all transcriptions of original sources carried out carefully by Relatively Scottish. Many of these are available free of charge and there is a small charge for others. In addition I’d like to hear about any other documents you would like me to add to this collection. There are many more documents available in the archives which I have not yet been transcribed and published.
Dumfriesshire 37 documents covering 16 parishes
Roxburghshire 15 documents covering 7 parishes
These include some similar sources to those for Dumfriesshire including Estate rentals. Also there are kirk session indexes on Illegitimate Births and Irregular Marriages.
Archive Visits
Relatively Scottish exists to provide research on family history in Scottish archives for customers anywhere in the world. Therefore I take a flexible approach and can provide whatever research you need in any supported archive. Alternatively I can focus on one or more branches of a family tree for you.
I live in Roxburghshire in the Scottish Borders and can carry out research at many of the Scottish archives covering south and central Scotland. This includes:
- Scotlandspeople
- National Records of Scotland (Edinburgh)
- National Library of Scotland (Edinburgh)
- Dumfries & Galloway Archives (Ewart Library)
- Scottish Borders Archives (Heritage Hub, Hawick)
- Edinburgh City Archives
- Buccleuch Estate Archives, Drumlanrig Castle
My own family tree has primary branches in Dumfriesshire, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Renfrewshire and Banffshire. As a direct descendant from the infamous border reivers I have a keen interest in reiver genealogy. And you will find more information about this on my Reiver Genealogy pages.
